The Power
With high-voltage satire, Alderman turns the world on its head - forcing us to recognize the violence and indignity suffered by women in our modern world as we watch the men of hers fall prey to the same dynamics.
In an unlikely turn of events, my Yale bro book club chose "The Power" as our May selection. Naomi Alderman's blockbuster hit starts off slow, but gradually builds to a horrific crescendo. In her joltingly original view of the future, Alderman introduces us to a world where women become more powerful than men, courtesy of a biological mutation that grants them the ability to deliver electric shocks. Bolts of political, military, criminal, and religious intrigue zap through the story as women revolt against their former oppressors. With high-voltage satire, Alderman turns the world on its head - forcing us to recognize the violence and indignity suffered by women in our modern world as we watch the men of hers fall prey to the same dynamics. This is an uncomfortable and disturbing book, and is made even more so by graphic scenes of savage sexual brutality... perpetrated by women.